Interesting the lengths to which institutions that don’t want to discriminate have to go to provide the same coverage to same-sex couples. This circuitous (to avoid actually saying they’re providing this to Gay couples), and admirable language, from the University of Michigan’s personnel policy, was sent to me by my brother who is on the medical faculty there.
I have to say, what’s even more admirable is his note that accompanied it:
"I wondered whether you’d be intrigued by how the U of M is maintaining its commitment to provide employee benefits to same sex domestic partners while remaining "legal" under the recently adopted Michigan law prohibiting this. Mind you, I’m not proud of Michigan’s law governing this issue, but I am pleased that my employer has come up with a way around it. Screw the evangelicals if they don’t like this. I’d like to see their faces when they find that their attempt to create a sexual-orientation-apartheid failed."
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
“Other Qualified Adult”
All of the following eligibility criteria must be met:
1. Employee and Other Qualified Adult currently share a primary residence and have
shared a residence for at least 6 months.
2. Other Qualified Adult is not eligible to inherit from the employee under the laws of
intestate succession in the state of Michigan*;
3. Neither Employee nor Other Qualified Adult is legally married in Michigan.
4. At least one of the following is true:
– Employee and Other Qualified Adult have a joint checking account; or
– Employee and Other Qualified Adult have a joint savings account; or
– Employee and Other Qualified Adult have a joint credit account.
5. At least one of the following is true:
– Employee and Other Qualified Adult have durable power of attorney for
health care for the other; or
– Employee and Other Qualified Adult have durable power of attorney for
financial management for the other.
6. The Other Qualified Adult has been designated as the primary beneficiary for at least
one of the following:
– A life insurance contract held by Employee; or
– The Employee’s will; or
– A retirement contract (including IRA, 401 (k), 403(b), or pension plan)
held by the Employee.
7. Other Qualified Adult and Employee cannot legally marry each other in Michigan.
*The following individuals do not fall within the eligibility criteria for Other Qualified
Adult:
· Spouse
· Children and their descendents (i.e. children, grandchildren)
· Parents
· Parents’ descendents (i.e. siblings, nieces, nephew)
· Grandparents and their descendents (i.e. aunts, uncles, cousins)